If you want to know pretty much exactly how I feel about the tone of our general pop culture dialog, as well as our increasingly binary mentality in regards to how we treat each other on the internet, then read Sean T. Collin’s excellent thought piece for the Observer.

“interpret with minimum good faith, attack with maximum rhetorical force”

Felix Postma

Ugh, I thought this only to this degree on anime forums, and already there I found it inexplicable

http://www.ihatedisqus.com perciousangle

i really appreciate this, thanks for sharing

Paul

Hey Jesse, I don’t meant to randomly posted this, but I’ve had a question burning for awhile now. I’ve been reading the Roman poet Lucan’s “Bellum Civile” about the Roman Civil Wars, and I’ve been really fascinated with the section where the evil witch Erichtho raises the corpse of a dead soldier to life.

The whole incantation scene really, really reminded me of the bit in “Something Big” when Maja summoned Darren. Was Lucan/Erichtho an inspiration for the character of Maja, or is this just a weird coincidence? Thanks for reading (and being awesome)!

Jesse Moynihan

Hey Paul, it’s totally a coincidence. I don’t know anything about Erichtho the witch. But it sounds like it might be a cool story to read! Maja wasn’t really inspired by anyone or any story in particular. I named her after a local LA witch who gives lectures about magic here. She did a tarot reading for me once and so the character is an homage to her, but just in name, because the real Maja is very nice!

Paul

Huh, cool! Haha, I guess it’s pretty fun to draw up these little parallels, even if there is nothing to substantiate them! Thanks for answering my question.

I think there’s something really poisonous about current levels of cynicism surrounding art. Too often than not criticism is sounding like entitlement of false expectations. I think it’s a bit ridiculous to critique every work in a medium through the same criteria.

Sithsaber

But we’re cool right?

Feeling Condemned,

The watchingwithwizardeyes theorist formally known as Sithsaber.

Jesse Moynihan

You’re fine Sithsaber. You have your own thing going on. You try to understand the work, rather than try to fit the work into a preconceived framework.

Sithsaber

I think you’re being polite. In trying to understand sometimes I basically have to turn to preestablished tropes and motifs. (Which is why I usually surrender my desire to understand and go straight to passing off my subjective responses as fact) I don’t know, I think the only thing seperating me from a theorist is my awed kowtowing whenever the show moves in a direction I wasn’t anticipating. I’m no activist or purist, but I do admit that I like episodes where setting specific socioeconomic systems have tangible effects on the plot. The muh-muh-muh money episode is one of my favorites due to how Jake goes mad with power because “money is the root of all evil”, only Ooo is still feudal for valid reasons and the money fueled ascendancy of the bourgeoisie hasn’t been accomplished yet, meaning the ancien regime can still off those who get too uppidity. That is funny aand can be tied into character development. (The anarchy speech+Tiffany+The Pajama War Cookie Stalin will equal fun)

Maybe I get away with stuff because i’m eclectic. Its not often that a Bob Hope movie and a unhealthy history of pacing leads me to catch onto how a episode (Chips and Ice Cream)seems to literally fixate on lunacy. (the last sentence is part of the reason why the Something Awful forum hates me) I have been wrong before and will be wrong again, but by sticking to vague conceits and unexpected correlations with myth, I cheat and pretend to be above the shippers and other tumblrites. This is just a hobby though, so i’m okay with being part of the problem.

Jesse Moynihan

My main problem with bad critics is the trend of disliking a work of fiction if it a) doesn’t actively reinforce their current ideology, or b) if the story breaks their headcanon. Stories are not obligated to do either of these things. I haven’t seen this reflected in your writing. Also I am relieved that you see it as a hobby and not a life defining activity.

Sithsaber

My life is defined by emptiness. Bye

Jesse Moynihan

Well to be honest, I think everyone’s life at least in part defined by emptiness. I certainly wrestle with the notion of emptiness, and whether my work in this life has been waste of effort or motivated by unworthy desires. The role of the critic is important in our world. Right now we live in the time of Critics Gone Wild. Hopefully the pendulum will swing back and the people with important thoughts will rise to the top. At the moment it’s a free-for-all grab for the most attention at the greatest cost to the creators. Sithsaber, like I said man you’re fine. Don’t project negative judgement onto yourself based on an interpretation of my comments.

I’m sorry, honest. There is no reason for me to resent you. I just make lame jokes from time to time because I think it spices up my good stuff. Kids in the Hall isn’t helping. Sorry if I seem like a dick.

Guest

I think the writer got the critics down to a T. Hardcore fans can make it difficult for other fans to enjoy the piece of media. They’re negativity rubs off like a disease, I suppose. The further you delve into Tumblr or 4-Chan, the more opinions you’ll find and the less enchanted with the series you’ll become. I’m saying this as a viewer. As a content creator, I’d imagine that it’s much worse.

This isn’t unusual at all. Almost every piece of media has their hardcore fans. People love stories. People love to obsess over stories. People like to see themselves in their favourite stories. That’s probably why the Theorists are so meticulous, the Activists so impassioned, the Purists so scrupulous, and the Partisans so absorbed. It’s when those obsessions are placed into the public sphere that these opinions become problematic. Posting opinions on a public forum, as cathartic as it feels, always runs the risk of being read, interpreted, and responded to. It’s when these opinions circulate that disenchantment with the piece of media occurs. I suppose that people like to take their opinions to the internet because it gives them the excuse of being dogmatic without facing any serious backlash. Their opinions are not necessarily anonymous, but they are much less identifiable. Sadly, that’s the world we’ve constructed. It’s the curse of the technological age. It’s also very easy for somebody to tell you that you can avoid it by removing yourself from social media when they’ve never had these opinions occupy every inch of their mind.

I’m going to assume that you’ve posted this with the feedback that you’ve received from Adventure Time in mind. I’ve never seen how the fans respond to it on 4-Chan (I’ve heard ghost stories about that website), but I have seen it on Tumblr. It can get chaotic at times, I’ll admit. I don’t really think that there are a lot of hardcore Theorists, Activists and Partisans in the fan community, per se. It’s just that the ones who are tend to be very loud. And vocal. The show’s interesting enough as it is to be able to dismiss the opinions of hardcore fans, though.

Lukey Walden

have you ever read the playwright Sherry Kramer’s thoughts on writing and criticism? She teaches at the Iowa Playwrights Workshop, and I think you’d be into her. Here’s a snippet from an interview, in response to the question “If you could change one thing about theatre, what would it be?”

“If someone would give me 2 million dollars, I’d develop a two year training program to change the critical conversation in the country. Here’s how I’d do it: I’d take a bunch of those amazing dramaturges our MFA programs are training–smart, articulate people who are passionate about the theatre, who love it and know so much about it—and I’d train them to be our theatre critics by putting them in close relationships with the truly magnificent critics—hey, there are some!—around the country, let them apprentice with them (think apprentice like in Star Wars, not Donald Trump) and see how the critics who love the theatre write about it with passion, intelligence and wisdom. I’d make the conversation about our art form local and national at the same time by putting put these critics, two and three to a city, all over the country. After three months in one city I’d move them to another city, and after two years these dramaturge/critics would have seen work not just in New York and one or two other places, but collectively would have a relationship with theatre everywhere. They would post their writing on a website that would be a place to go to join a conversation about theatre everywhere. Wouldn’t it be great if you could read 2 or 3 pieces of critical writing about a new play in Seattle by critics you have been following, people who are not interested in their “power” or the power of their paper to close a show or make it a hit, or in making/breaking theatres and writers, but in writing about how theatre becomes an essential part of the American experience. About how we can make theatre that matters to people, not just to other artists or to satisfy some insular/insulated assortment of ideas.”